Andrei Fursenko, Education & Science Minister of Russia, and Patricia Harrison, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, agreed on the feasibility of such a body at their routine meeting in Moscow Friday, the ministry's press service reports.
Ms. Harrison pointed out that wider expert exchange would help Russia and the U.S. to strengthen their bilateral ties. Fursenko, for his part, remarked that education and science are crucial areas of strategic U.S.-Russian cooperation. "We now have unique opportunities for cooperation. We must try to keep this sector in the vanguard of our relations," he said.
The minister assessed as "effective and wise" the current practice of exchanging academics and researchers between Russia and the U.S. But he said he would like to see more Russian school teachers involved in exchange programs, and not only from Moscow and St. Petersburg, but from the provinces, as well. He deems it important that fledgling researchers and graduate students be provided with opportunities to work and study at leading universities and research institutes of the partner country. In his view, expert exchange should be a double-track road. Russia is attractive to foreign investment, and it is essential that American businesspeople get first-hand knowledge about what life in this country is like, he said.
At their Moscow meeting, Fursenko and Harrison also reached a tentative agreement on the possibility of signing a Russo-American memorandum on cooperation in science and technology. This document will likely be signed during Fursenko's scheduled visit to Washington, D.C., in late April. The sides assured each other that relevant agencies in their respective countries would make every effort to finalize the draft in time for the trip.
